She caught the attention of the Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women judging panel with her simple introduction. “I do not have a unique or dramatic story. In fact, my story is all too typical.”

Rice, a factory worker for ten years, found motivation to change her circumstances when she went through a divorce and heard that the plant she worked for might close. She chose a nursing career and earned a 4.0 grade point average in her first year of studies.

“When I graduate in spring of 2008 and pass those board exams, I will be in glory!” Rice said. “Doing something meaningful and fulfilling while being self-sufficient and providing security for my family seems hard to beat.”